Jerome Tang breaks silence on Kansas State firing: 'It still hurts'
· Yahoo Sports
MANHATTAN — Former Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang made his first public comments about his former employer while speaking on Baylor's in-house podcast.
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Upon returning to Baylor as Scott Drew's associate head coach, Tang said on "The Sic 'Em Podcast" that he had an "unbelievable time in Manhattan, Kansas," while also complimenting the people, community and student body.
"We didn't win enough," Tang said. "That's the nature of the business, and they went in a different direction, but it didn't surprise God."
Tang was fired by Kansas State for cause midseason after his now-infamous postgame press conference following a loss to Cincinnati on Feb. 11. In the press conference, he described his players' efforts as "embarrassing" and continued, "These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform, and there will be very few of them in it next year."
After he was fired four days later, Tang lawyered up to challenge the characterization of his termination in pursuit of his $18.675 million buyout. As of the afternoon of Sept. 10, Tang had yet to file a lawsuit in Riley County. It's believed his lawyers and Kansas State continue to meet behind closed doors to pursue a settlement.
Tang returned to Baylor on April 28, becoming the school's top assistant. He helped the Bears win a national championship in 2021. He was on Drew's staff from 2003-22.
During the podcast, Tang said he didn't sell his Waco, Texas, home and that his family was moving right in. He said he considered purchasing a home in Florida and taking a year off, but ultimately chose to continue coaching at the one place he would consider.
Kansas State and Baylor won't play in Manhattan this season. There's a chance the two could meet in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas on Thanksgiving. They'll meet in Big 12 play in Waco on a date that has yet to be announced.
Tang was asked if he was still bitter toward the situation.
"I've learned that in dealing with grief and loss, there are some people that have suffered worse things than me, and I don't want to mix them," Tang said. "But there is some grief because you lose something that was important to you. I never went into any situation thinking about how it can help me get to the next place. That was always the place.
"Until God gave me a head job, there was no other place I wanted to be other than head coach at Kansas State, right? The only way God was going to get me to move was to rip me out of there. Sometimes your greatest strength, my loyalty, is also your greatest weakness, and God was nudging me and saying, 'Hey, you need to move,' and I would have thought that was the devil trying to take me off that mission.
"This was God's way of moving me. I understand that it still hurts. It still hurts. You lost something that was dear to you, something that you poured your whole heart and soul into and loved. I try to remember the good times. You go back and forth; some days it's OK, and then it goes to the other side where you think about the hurt. I love many people who are still there."
Tang was 71-57 as Kansas State's head coach. The Wildcats were 10-15 overall and 1-11 in Big 12 play when he was fired in mid-February.
The Wildcats have since hired former Belmont coach Casey Alexander and will enter the 2026-27 season with only one returning player. They tip off the season at home against South Dakota State on Nov. 3.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Jerome Tang breaks silence on Kansas State firing: 'It still hurts'